The present invention relates to enteral feeding warming systems for feeding infants and other patients.
Infants and other patients who cannot eat through their mouths must be fed nutritional fluid directly into their stomachs or intestines via an enteral feeding tube. Often, such fluids are expressed from a birth mother or prepared in advance and then refrigerated until needed. Thus, the fluids must be warmed prior to feeding. Conventional enteral feeding warming systems are used to warm enteral feeding fluid and to deliver the fluid into the infant's stomach or intestine. These systems include a pump, a warming device having a housing and a heating element, and an enteral feeding tube. The pump is connected to a fluid source and connected to a first end of the enteral feeding tube of the warming device. The housing of the warming device encloses the heating element and an intermediate portion of the enteral feeding tube. The second end of the enteral feeding tube is inserted into the infant's stomach or intestine through the infant's esophagus or through an incision in the infant's chest or abdomen.
The heating elements of these warming devices are often heated to a temperature of between 120° F. (49° C.) to 140° F. (60° C.). This high heat of 120° F. (49° C.) to 140° F. (60° C.) may negatively break down the nutrients in the fluid such that the infant receives reduced nutritional benefit from the fluid. The high heat may also introduce foreign particles from the plastic of the enteral feeding tube into the fluid.